Paid Vacation
by Shoedynn
Summary: Saren is dead, Sovereign is no more, and the geth are being dealt with. Shepard, along with the entire crew, take a leave for the Citadel where Garrus and Tabula share their intamate secrets with one another, and maybe more? FemShep/Garrus
1. Just a bit homicidal

A/N: **Edit:** Well, there _were_multiple accounts of murdering of the English language in this chapter, but I've arrested the foul elf who was doing this, and he shall never see the light of day again...PROMISE!!!(I.E. I fixed my mistakes...lol, the former seems a lot more funner that the latter.n_n)

* * *

Saren has been defeated, Sovereign is no more, and there have been great implications done by both the Council and the Alliance, together, to eradicate the Geth situation out in the Traverse. It was anyone's guess as to why Commander Shepard is still on edge.

Shepard continued for many weeks, after the victory at the Citadel, to send the Normandy, along her on board crew, on countless missions throughout known and unknown space, risking the health of everyone for an ease to her unexplainable uncertainty.

Uncertainty in the current state of, what the media called, "Galactic Peace and Prosperity". Uncertainty in the abilities of her crew; Shepard feels that, unless her team is constantly tested, they will fail. And, above all, Shepard feels disillusioned in her own profound skills, and had established seeds of doubt within her self conscious.

Unless she is forced out of this false reality she had created, engulfing her full well being, her entire crew, would be strained to the point of exhaustion, leaving them _truly_ vulnerable and weakened.

During Shepard's usual ritual of inspection about the ship, the crew of the Normandy approached and surrounded her; this was an intervention from herself.

"What is going on here? Let me through!" Stunned by the seeming mutiny, Shepard's voice opened and swallowed the room in her anger.

_I'm being betrayed, that's what's happening. What else could it be? They hate me, no, they just want me gone...well, I'm not going to go down like this._

Shepard came back, and eyes now glaring in each individuals' pupils, fear was rampant. This was a good time as ever to speak.

"I see this is a revolt, and for causes that I feel no need to hear. I am in charge and this nothing but an act against a superior officer. Me. Spectre Tabula Shepard!" She said it with pride and ego, but everyone felt the undertone of stubbornness and immobility.

"No commander, this is just a helping hand." Presley spoke, attempting to remain calm in front of the now pumped up and battle ready Shepard.

"Help is something that _I_ have no need of, Presley. I am perfectly able to face whatever I may encounter, including any of you."

"We're just saying that…" Joker tried to get some words in, but it was only meet by the glare of his superior.

"Joker, how are? I say this because I don't care, as you obviously don't care for how I am feeling right now. I would ask you all to leave…" Shepard then turned her attention to the rest of the crew. "…but it would seem there is only one way to settle this, hmm?"

Caressing the handle of her pistol, everybody made sure to enlarge their circle and put more distance to their increasingly homicidal looking Commander. It was seent that one of them felt that he could handle the situation, and stepped closer towards the armed Tabula.

She spoke with a condesending and malevolent tone, complemeting the seriene silence that now cemented the surround cold, steel walls. "So, Garrus, you in on this war too? Whose side are you on?"

Taking a moment, he exhaled, and as nicely as he could, exlaimed hi thoughts. "You're turning into a psychopathic murderer, Shepard! All we're trying to do is prevent that. _Not_ by engaging in mutiny, but by showing you that...uh...well, we, you need to relax. Your wasting _our _time in doing pointless searching, and in this, you're putting stress and pressure on the whole crew, not to mention your own mentality, as you can see."

He took a minute to catch his breath. "I think..._we all think_, that, the only solution to settle this quarrel is...by...taking a short break from this mission. Now, commander, what will you say?" His voice was sincere; a little bold, but at least honest.

Shepard tilted her head in awe at the bluntness of Garrus. Not sugarcoating it, Garrus, like the other officers would have. She always enjoyed that about Garrus; that he would just say what he felt, and only at the discretion at the necessity of the current situation.

Preventing homicide seemed to be just the right level of necessity needed for him to tell her that she was going insane to her face, and looking back, she knew he was right. The crew was right, they needed a break; she needed a drink.

"_I would love a scotch right about now."_

It was a few minutes before the room was full of sound. The room was vacant of sound, and it left everyone thinking about what was going to happen next. The tension made everyone chill at the possibility of insanity, and a catastrophic breakdown on Shepard's part. Fate being on their side, however, no such thing made it's way to Tabula.

"Alright, alright…let's go on vacation!"

In one loud hail of cheers, everyone shouted with joy at the thought of relaxation, even for a while.

"Joker," Shepard trying to speak over everyone, not wanting to disturb their final coming of a long overdue shore leave. "Head to the citadel, ASAP!"

"Aye aye, ma'am!"

In a full turn around, Shepard found herself up close, and slightly uncomfortable, with the very person who prevented the possible deaths of the whole crew.

"Shepard, I just want to say…" His voice, still calm and quiet, was overshadowed by the yells of the crew.

"What, Garrus? I can't hear…"

"I…JUST…WANT …" In a sigh, Garrus held out his hand to Shepard, in order to lead her to a quieter place; and incidentally, away from prying eyes and ears.

Dragging her to the Mess Hall of the Normandy, by the door of Shepard's quarters, this is where Garrus has planed his next words very meticulously.

"Shepard?" His voice suddenly uncomfortable being so dominant and out in the open. He felt an uneasiness in such a place; where he was to be judged by Shepard.

"Yes Garrus? You already said a lot, anything else you want to add?" A smile crept upon her face, providing him the ability to clear his throat and speak.

"I just…well, you and me…" A pause ran through his words. He just had to be brash, it seeming to be the only way to say what he means without stumbling.

Shepard waiting patiently, and with anxious participation, listened. Her face glowing in the ship's low blue lighting, almost presenting an aura around her.

"Do you want to go have a drink at the citadel?"

"Alone? It would be quiet rude to leave me to drink alone, after that whole situation upstairs, huh? Would you just let me go and get wasted, leaving me vulnerable?"

"NO, oh my, no I would _never_ do that!"

Shepard laughed, leaving Garrus feeling embarrassed and over reactive. He always felt aggravated when it came to human emotions, and it became more of an annoyance to try to find the sarcasm within the sentence, than a means of a funny joke. Even after all these months on board, he still had a difficult time understanding human emotions, and in the end, most of the humans were always met with a blank stare and a dry chuckle.

"I'm sorry Garrus, I was just kidding." Looking into his eyes, she tried to read him, unsure if she really hurt his feelings. She knew what he was trying to get at, and it made her think.

"_Should I really go out right after all that has happened? I'm already with Kaiden, would it be mean if I just told Garrus off now?"_

Shepard composed herself, and told Garrus to continue. Stopped, but not willing to give up now, he restated himself.

"Would you, Commander Shepard, like to have a drink with me, once we get to the Citadel and I rest up, and I'm sure that you too have to…"

"Garrus!"

"Yes, Shepard?" He always did speak his mind, and it usually went on for a while.

"I would _love_ to get a drink with you. See you at…?"

"Uh, well, I was thinking someplace quieter than there." He pointed up to the floor above, which was still as loud as ever, completely oblivious to the fact that their commander had left. "So, how about the Embassy Lounge?"

"Sounds great."

"Great…then, I guess I'll see you there when we dock?"

"That's right. Anything else, Garrus?" Shepard was curious as to see if he was _already_ making a pass at her, or if he just never asked someone out before.

"Okay, well, bye Shepard."

Letting him walk a little to see if he was really trying to get to her bedroom, she could tell he was just nervous. And with that, she said back athim, right before turing to her room "Bye, and it's Tabula, you know?"

He turned around, stunned slightly. "What was that, Shepard...uh Tabula?"

She paused, than replied with a loftiness in her voice "Being formal isn't always the most formal thing to do, _Mr. Vakarian_."

And with that, her door shut behind her. Separating the two, and allowing them to prepare for their oncoming date.

* * *

A/N: Well, this is the beginning of something cool, I can just FEEL IT!!!

Please comment, and talk to me about it. I'm soooooooo into reviews! lol

Later Ya'll

Shoe~


	2. A friendly chat between friends

A/N: Hey people, how are?! ANYWAY, I just want to say that I love everything with Garrus in it, and this is just an accumulation of what I would have liked to see out of this possible romance that never was.(cries IRL)

Oh, and don't think that Shepard is cheating on Garrus, because that is NOT what is happening. In any case, please enjoy and comment. GOOD! BAD! TERRIBLE! NEEDS MORE GARRUS! NEEDS LESS GARRUS!(if you put that in, I will hunt you down and drown you in the ocean...I WILL!!!(lol, love to all))

Shoe~

* * *

"Hey, Commander…uh, we're here...at the Citadel. So, you might want to, get your ass up? Joker out."

A growl was heard coming from the room of Shepard. She was not pleased being awakened to say the least.

"_Ugh…God, I hate that little man. But I guess staying here won't help anyone, right Tabula?"_ She wanted to sleepin all day, but there was a mission to be done. _"So...like he said, 'get your ass up!' You have a date."_

Waking to the familiar scene of her quarters within the Normandy, she found some fresh clothes that she _didn't_ sleep in, got redressed, and left her room for the barren straight that was now the Normandy.

"_Wow, everyone _really_ wanted a shore leave, I guess. Maybe I wanted it as badly as them..._*sigh*_ C'mon girl, you're almost there."_

Moving through the Mess, upstairs, past the Galaxy Map, past the control panels, that would be full of people on the normal occasion, and out the airlock, Tabula Shepard left the Normandy and began her "vacation" by heading over for a drink.

Meanwhile, for the past couple of hours she has been sleeping, Garrus has waited most attentivly at the lounge. Waiting, thinking, and of course, _drinking._

"_Where is she? Is he coming? Did she leave me? Does she think I'm someone I'm not? I'm a very nice person, I think. Am I? Do I think me to be this person that I'm not but she sees it, maybe...right?"_

*sigh* "A…uh. Oh, a drink please, Bar…keep."

Lazily, the bartender refilled Garrus' drink for the third time now. The drink was Turian, meaning that is wasn't as potent as other human drinks, however, to Garrus, he was hitting the strong stuff, and it showed.

He began blinking irregularly, his body swayed slightly as it was perched on top of his stool, and his words came out at different times. His memory was beginning to fade, and in his half drunk stupor, which took only three drinks and just over two hours time, he felt self conscious as to why Shepard has yet to show.

"_Maybe...maybe she just hates me...a lot!"_

"Hey, Vakarian, missed me?"

Garrus turned slowly, partly due to the surprise, and, suddenly knowing his own drunkenness, didn't want to fall off his stool and embarrass himself on his first date with his commanding officer.

He took a few seconds to regain some composer before speaking. "Hello Commander Shepard. How are your...you feeling? Good I hope. Yes?" His voice was fake, completely sterile and sounding scripted. He was obviously hiding something.

"Good, yes, thank you Garrus."

"Please, ma'am, let us drink...more. I've been drinking, some, more. Would you like a drink?"

Shepard inhaled, exhaled, and stated "Garrus Vakarian, I'm going to take you home to rest. You are in no shape to have a serious conversation with me, and like wice, I with you. Will you _please_get up, and walk with me to the nearest Transit Module?"

Garrus laughed uncontrollably, then fell, off his stool, face first, and onto the floor

"That's a Yes!*sigh* Here, let's get you going." Inspecting his body, she noticed blood on the floor. A waterfall of blood had formed where Garrus' nostrils once were.

"God dammit Garrus! Look at what you did to yourself! Here, lean you head back, let me get one of my medi-gel packs out and…"

"Your pretty, Shep…Tabula."

"What…what did you say Garrus?"

"I think your pretty…Tabula."

His head swaying from the slight concussion he received, and or the loss of blood causing him to feel lightheaded. It would seem he was delusional and just expressing random thoughts that meant nothing. Shepard continued by giving his words little thought, and neutrally agreeing to whatever he was going to say in this state of mind.

"Do you think your pretty, Tabula?"

"Uh, yeah Garrus, I do think I'm _pretty_"

"I've always thought you were pretty."

"Have you now?"

"Oh yeah, well…you see, I've never talked to humans that often when I worked at C-sec. I usually dealt with things related to drugs, gangs, and…and other things."

"Okay." Her voice showed that she was getting tired already from this date, but at least one of them felt obligated to continue it.

"…When I saw you in the Citadel Tower, the first time we met, I couldn't help but sense that you were unlike your human allies; Kaiden and Ashley. You were the voice, the face, the aura of what it meant to be in power; in control of what you could and would do."

He paused so Tabula could layer gel on his nose.

"Thank you. Your so nice Tabula."

"Lean you head back, Garrus. I'll pay for your tab of…THREE DRINKS! Wow, Vakarian, you're a lightweight, aren't you?"

Garrus was completely oblivious to the verbal punch Tabula was throwing, and continued his story.

"I wanted to be you Shepard, and when you seemed like you needed help, I was right there to throw my hands up and convince you that I'm what you need...ed" He sighed and came back a few seconds later. Shepard was now helping him to his feet and walking him to the nearest Rapid Transit.

"I was there, on your ship, just for me. _I _wanted to be the best, _I_wanted to stop Saren, _I_wanted to be the best…uh yeah. But, you see, you started to talk to me. Most of the crew ignored me for the majority of the way. The only one who was lonelier was Wrex. And he just didn't care. But I did. And there you were."

"Garrus, here, up and over into the 'car'." Shepard was still trying to ignore him, she just wanted to get him home before he passed out.

"Listen to me Tabula, I have to say this." She got in with Garrus, and plugged in the coordinates for her place. She didn't have the patience to get his apartment number out of him. He'll just have to deal with sleeping on the couch.

There was silence in the cramp space, Garrus' alcoholic breath only intensifying the experience.

"Are you listening to me Shepard? Are you really?"

"_More than I'd like to, that's for damn sure!"_"Yes, of course Garrus."

"You see, I always wanted your attention, and it became an obsession for me to be with you. All of a sudden, I didn't care about myself, I cared about you. I thought that...you were going to go away forever when…you and Kaiden were…"

Tabula was caught off guard by the somberness of his voice. She let him continue without interruption.

"I felt obligated to show you that I was better than him; that I was the only one for you and that he wasn't. And when the final battle with Saren came, I wanted to be with you when that happened, no matter what happened, I wanted it to happen with you and me, together…and you chose me…with Kaiden!"

Garrus began to cry.

"I knew where I stood from there on, your 'friend' your 'best friend' but never your…your…what do you humans call them…?"

"Boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend…I would never be that to you. And I wanted to show you that tonight, with a date and a few drinks…but I…I guess that…"

And down he went, slumping over and finally passing out, leaving Shepard alone to think; to ponder. Why was she so oblivious to what was now so obvious. If she was so good at reading people, how come she couldn't read Garrus?

She brushed off her thoughts form her mind and silently waited for the vehicle to end at their destination.

"_Now I really do need a drink."_

* * *

A/N: ...hmm what will happen next...*ponders* Oh, if there are ANY typos OR grammer problems(I think I got them all)please tell me. My PSAT told me I "need to read a grammer book" so I think it's offical I suck at writing, oh well!(lol, its trueXD)


	3. Admission and Submission

A/N: Good Evening everyone(or whatever position the sun is at right now n_n)

I didn't really explain _it_ well in the actual story, so I'll help you out here.

The whole 'date' happened because Kaiden said to Shepard that it was alright, however, it was allowed, the date, so as to tell Garrus that he was never going to get Shepard because she's with Kaiden(It was supposed to only be a Hello-I'm Taken-Goodbye type of meeting) But since he was busy being drunk, Garrus, Shepard really didn't have a chance to lightly put him down.

Basically, its a plan that has gone horribly wrong, and is making all three people re-thinking their emotions and attachments towards one another, especially Shepard's(poor Tabula D:)

**Edit: **Please ignore what is written above. It makes no sense and will only confuse you further...seriously.

Well, I thought this went WAY off why I made it in the first place, and Shepard turned into a crying, angry, psycho bitch...but that is just how she felt...but still, I fixed it. The plan was to make you see that Shepard is suddenly falling for Garrus, and Garrus is just like "If you want me, come get me." And from there...well, just read and tell me what you think...**PLEASE COMMENT!!!**

Shoe~

* * *

_Shit...uh...um.........shit._

Shepard was in quiet the problematic situation. With going on a secret date behind her boyfriend's back, and then the date turning into a complete disaster, and all because everyone wanted to take a vacation.

_I'm so stupid, I'm such a freaking idiot...you should have just said no Tabula, you should have just turned down his proposal. BUT NO, you wanted_ _to, and now your into him, and all because you had to say yes...such an IDIOT!_

Shepard is the type of person that would hold herself accountable, and forever regret it, never to forget it, and be in a continuous state of guilt no matter what. That's what happened with Ashley and Virmire, and now the same is happening between her and Garrus. He is becoming another failure, _her_ failure. She felt obligated, she felt the need, she felt something that she didn't want to feel.

And now, she had to deal with it.

She sighed a breath of contempt over her self proclaimed stupidity and stretched away from the wall she was leaning her back against, and over towards the refrigerator to get something to drink. This time it wasn't a scotch she was looking for, it was only 11am anyway, and she didn't want her invited guest to wake up to a drunk, whining, obnoxious Tabula. No, she felt the need to talk to him, face to face, and discuss what happened the night before; with both parties sober.

She felt the desire.

Taking a swig of OJ she found in the back of the barren and empty fridge, she quickly finished off what was left, and put it back its place of origin. She would throw it out later, but for now, all she wanted to do was prepare for the battle ahead.

_Why is it always a mission to you, a battle, some sequence of events that, in the end, are always related to bloodshed and loss. Damn I have problems...and this "vacation" is doing a HELL of a job in keeping me relaxed._

She stretched herself one last time, popping her joints in an audible rhythmic sequence of frustration and stress. It was time to awaken her date.

Walking over to the couch, she examined the scene of the blanket valleys which spanned the entire length of Garrus, covering his torso, yet passed over his scattered limbs. An arm was seen flung over the front end of the couch, hovering just above the carpet. The other was busy shielding Garrus' face, all the while, the legs made their way from the top corner of the 'bed' to the over, making a diagonal 'V' formation.

_Wow, very flexable, huh?_

She chuckled to herself, and continued to stare off at the body. She felt a sense of solidity and foundation when she was ever near Garrus; a feeling that it was always going to be for the greater cause, for the mission at hand. And when she saw him in such a state of deterioration and decay as he was last night, it made her feel as though she lost something she had cared for the longest time.

Garrus was just a friend who she had a crush on before, someone whom her feeling towards would never be reveled. But that date, that now God awful date, certainly put thing into a whole new perspective for her.

Tabula wouldn't say she was in love with Garrus, because she wasn't. She was just, for lack of a much more promiscuous word, curious. Garrus was weird, personality and all, but the aura that was wrapedaround him like a warming embrace just seemed so comforting. She just had a crush on him, but now that he felt the same with her, and she knows about it as well, the _chance_ for a _chance_ became a _chance_ worth, if not taking, at least keeping for a rainy day.

Shepard wasn't one to use someone, and she wouldn't use Garrus, but this did give her an advantage over him, and in the end, she would be the one to come out on top and victorious, or at least on top.

"Garrus...wake your ass up!"

His eyes became alive with fear and anxiety. Where was he? How did he get here? Who was she...who was...

"Shepard! Oh my, excuse me I must have..."

Falling off the couch and on his face. It was all the will Shepard could muster up to prevent an ear deafening scream of laughter at his pain. More stoic than before, she barely flinched at the sudden thud that followed his crash.

"You okay there Garrus? You need a glass of..."

"Huh, oh my, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." He quickly got up and and brushed himself off; he seemed to be in a rush. He bowed himself just slightly, not enough to take full notice, but enough to show his respect and apologetic attitude. He had something to get off his chest, that was clear.

"Sorry for what?"

"For...for last night."

_Last night._ Those words sent an echo into her mind, vibrating off each wall and deeper into her thoughts.

"My Behaviour was nothing beyond atrocious, and my drunken stupor, as I would expect, is no excuse for my actions. I take full blame for what went down, and I apologize!"

"Look, Garrus, I appreciate that, but I want you to know that it's okay."

"No it is not. You deserve better than mediocre, and what I said was...substantially lower than that."

She was curious.

"So, what _do_ I deserve?"

The question appeared from the reverberating walls of Tabula's mind, and the thought slowly entered Vakarian's, sinking deeper every moment.

"Uh...you deserve many things Shepard; you deserve only the best, the absolute epitome of...whatever.

"Give me an example. Any example of...whatever." She seemed to mock him, but in reality, she just wanted to egg him on to the point where she wanted him. She wanted a repeat of last night, that God damned night.

"...If this is about Kaiden and you..."

"It's about..._whatever_." She gave him a deep glance into his eyes. He knew what she wanted to talk about, but he felt ashamed and turned his head. He didn't want to tell her to her face, but she wasn't going to have it any other way.

"VAKARIAN, you look me in the eyes, do you understand!" There wasn't a pause created, nor a word trembled mid-pronunciation; it flowed like a stream of bullets, hitting their target perfectly. He dared not to disobey Shepard; to disobey Tabula.

"I can't explain...I want to tell you, but I don't want you to think that I mean any..."

"Just say it." Her voice lost all its anger from before, and took a very charming and friendly tone. She couldn't help but have charming and intimidating personalities, she couldn't have one without the other, and both had their uses. For example, making Garrus just say what he said last night with being in a drunken stupor.

"I...I have an emotional attachment towards you in a decreasingly platonic fashion. Is that how you humans say it?"

"That, and that you have a crush on me."

"...oh, that one too." If Turians could blush, the galaxy would be a much more colorful place. Embarrassed didn't encompass the full indignity he had self inflicted upon himself. Equal to Shepard's ability to hold a cloud of guilt over her head, admitting to personal feelings when made to be strong, courageous, and without fear, just did not seem to come _without _paradigm shifting effects; with Garrus at least it didn't.

"Now, was that so hard."

He was silent. "Oh come now Vakarian, don't be like that. I like you too."

"Not Like how you like Kaiden." Was it jealousy, was it envy, or was it just pure angst with a build up of emotions? Shepard couldn't figure out why Garrus was acting like this, but she was going to dig deeper, despite the risk of a cave in on their friendship, and possible relationship.

"...Our last 'date' didn't go like I planed, and certainly not how you planed, right?" She meant it as a joke, but it just caused Garrus to sit down with his head facing where is once was. How he wished he could just sink back into that state of embarrassment and regret; such emotions seem to appear when you fall on you face, literally and not.

"C'mon, let's get some coffee, I need to relax."

Garrus just nodded, and followed Tabula to the door, out the hall, and towards the now monumental Rapid Transit Module. And such was the start of the second date.

* * *

A/N: Now, THAT is a lot better than before...oh yeah...a HELL OF A LOT closer to the feeling I was attempting to show you all I the last edition of this chapter. Thank you all for showing me the error of my ways.

I wanted Shepard to be someone you felt bad for, and Garrus someone you wanted to just say what he was feeling and get it over with so the romance can FINALLY begin. (Did I get close it it?) Now we are onto the second date...YIPPEE HOORAY!!! You all know what happens on the third date right...;) ;) ;)...*wink, wink, wink*...lol

Thank you for reading, and keep it up, we're not even 1/3 the way done. DON'T GIVE UP NOW!!!!!!!!

Shoe~


	4. Let it ALL out

A/N: I'm sick...so the grammaticle errors are there because I was busy drinking benadryl, and drinking soup...so don't be too upset..okay?!!!?

Love to all!

**Edit:**Well I hope I finally got all those errors down, and I was able to make the story more cohearent...I think(I hope, lol...I'M TRYING GOD F&*#ING DAMMIT MOTHER F%$ERS...jkjk)

n_n''' Please continue to talk to me...I love to talk to invisible strangers along this network of tubes and dumptrucks(Thank God for stupid people...*cries IRL*)

Shoe~

* * *

"Damn, this food cost a lot of money! Good thing you're paying."

Shepard made sure that he got the joke, staring straight into his beady, grey eyes until he finally coughed up a small chunk of enjoyment from the musky and unresponsivebowelswhere one would usually find emotions, within him. It seemed that, unless there was a sign above every sentence that she will ever say, for the rest of their time together, stating what emotion he should express in response, it would seem Garrus would be forever left in the dust when it came to such simple things as laughing at a joke.

"Are you feeling alright Vakarian? You've been awfully quiet, and I mean more then you usually are in these social situations. You are allowed to talk and be free to say what's on your mind...in fact its intended, if not expected. So...you know what to do now?"

She didn't want to seem as though she was patronizing him, but at the same time, he has said fairly little other than "How are you?" "Where are we going?" and "Why do I have to pay?" This date was starting to go nowhere at breakneck speeds, and she wasn't having any of it. Some rough pushing, with a little friendly poking would probably make him slightly aggravated, but surely he wouldn't just get up and leave.

"Tabula, I know what I'm supposed to do, but between your constant prodding and egging me on to say a few words just to make you feel better about _me_, this date is beginning to feel very..._not_ romantic."

He tried to sound courteous, but down deep, he really just wanted Tabula to shutup and give them both a few seconds to order something that would keep their mouths' full. Truth be told, Garrus just didn't want to be on the date to begin with; not because of the person he was going out with, but because of the situation that was forced unto him.

"Oh don't be like that; all sassy and full of couped up frustration. Its okay if you feel uncomfortable, after all, this is only our second…"

"Yeah, I know, our date this and our date that…look can we just, I don't know, order? " Having the audacity to interrupt and raise his voice to his date, his commander, the room felt as though it were balanced on the precarious side of a sheer drop off from some cliff. The tension within and around the table left Shepard in stunned contempt, but not without any composure.

As calm as she could force her voice to become without dropping to a whisper, Shepard replied "Of course Garrus, we'll order, as soon as you stop being all grumpy and start enjoying yourself. Can you do that? C'mon, I know deep down somewhere you want to be here, with me, talking. So why don't you just settle down; I'll even let you have something to drink, fine?"

Garrus took her tone as being **very** condescending, similar to how a mother would tell her child how to behave. He was not amused by his place in all of this.

Becoming increasingly hostile, Garrus ejected all his thoughts of rationality and censorship out of the window, and replaced them with emotion and pure rivalry. "Shepard, I don't see why we have to actually be in public and talk, why can't we just go back at my, or your, apartment and talk? What is so _damn_ special about a date to you humans that it needs to happen?"

His words had venom in between the letters, and it hurt her to be backed into a corner that she did not want to be forced into. She came back, not caring anymore, becoming as harsh and blind in her words as Garrus'.

"If you truly don't feel anything for me, to the point that you can't even suck it up for an hour or two with me beside you, then you can just leave…_okay_?"

_Is she being serious or…you know what, forget this. She can have her little date by herself, let her see if I care._

Garrus began to get up, but found Tabula's hand latch on his forearm; it filled him with yearning, but a lack of greed or lust.

"Garrus…" She began very slowly, moving her face upwards so as to get him to see her face; her dark skin glowing in the fluorescent light made his eyes take in every detail, every pore on her skin. She was beautiful, and sincere. "I'm sorry Garrus. I know I didn't give you a choice on this matter, but…please, just stay. I promise that our next date will be somewhere you want, doing something you want, with the only person you'll ever want...right?" A smile at the end made Garrus speak lighter.

"Why is it always about the next date, you sound like you're still on the ship; just replace _date_ with _mission_and it's the same. What's wrong with just sitting down and talking?" He was waning away from the argument, and with her grip on his suit, he began to escape into his mind; wondering about the fragrance the surrounded her, wishing he could feel her touch on his scales. He wanted that to be their date, not this restaurant, not this table, not this fight.

"I can do that anywhere, _we will _do that anywhere, I promise...but can you just talk to me here for now? Please Garrus, I know you don't like this, but it means a lot to me. Please?"

Tabula's voice tugged on Garrus' mind, previously unaware of how important this strange human courtship ceremony was to her, and what it meant. He may not like it, and he might even believe it to be pointless, but if it meant a great deal to Shepard, it meant that much more to himself.

He sat back down; head bowed he said "I choose next time, when and where...for the next date."

Renewed with a childish sense of glee, Tabula waved over for a waiter.

"I'll have the steak; medium please. With that, I'll just have some of whatever he is going to order for a drink." She winked at Garrus, letting him know that she wouldn't mind nursing a nice glass of wine.

"I'll have the…uh…I'll have this one." Pointing at his choice, the server nodded and asked what he would like to eat. Keeping the secrecy going, he pointed at that order as well. He turned his head towards Tabula, and very coyly, winked.

_What does he think he's doing? Is he trying to impress me or something? He better not be attempting to kill me just to get out of this date._

The waiter bowed and walked away silently, leaving Shepard puzzled, but not distracted, at what she was going to be drinking.

"If whatever you ordered is going to come at me with tentacles and a knife, then this date is over."

"Well in that case, I'll have to change my order."

Shepard erupted with laughter. "So you _can_make a joke, or at least, when you want to. Hmm, and here I thought you were actually boring."

A sly grin appeared on Garrus. "There seems to be a great deal of misnomers about me; including the idea that I'm without the ability to show feelings. I'm a very lively type of person for your information."

"Oh really? Well, then I can't wait to hear about it…over this NON-poisonous drink, right?"

"Hmm…*cough* *cough*…sure, not poisonous at all."

Tabula, bemused by Garrus' continual endeavor to lighten the mood all of a sudden, was now finally dropping off some of that luggage she has been caring on her aching back for a while now; trying to prove to everyone she could handle it when she felt weakest. Starting to feel more relived of stress and discomfort, she felt it was about time to get deep into the psyche of the Turian across from her. "Well, while we're busy plotting the other's death, let's get personal; how many Turian women have you ever done?"

The question was straightforward, which would make any man on a date blush, but it seemed Garrus was more baffled than unsettled. "What do you mean by _done_?"

"You know, like…" She then took her hands, and with the left one, she made a circle while the right hand was curled up with only the index finger extended. Incognito, so as to not spook the surrounding people, she motioned the two hands together in a unison bond.

"…wha…Oh, have I mated with anyone?" He said it pretty loudly, making Shepard stop her hands and cover one side of her face in embarrassment.

"Yeah...well have you?"

It was apparent that this was a touchy subject to Garrus. He looked down at the empty table, and whispered "Once, a long time ago. But I don't want to talk about her tonight, and I'm dead serious Tabula, let it be for now, okay? Can you do that for me?"

_Who is she? Something went wrong with the two; maybe they broke up, or she died, or maybe..._

"Of course Garrus, I have better things to talk about anyway…"

"Great, can't wait...hold on. Speaking of mating, did you not mate with Kaiden already, it was a rumor circling around the ship for a while now, is it true? I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I keep getting distracted."

Shepard started to fidget around in her seat, showing that she was uncomfortable in the predicament she dragged herself into.

"Tabula, if you don't want to talk about it…"

"NO, no…I just need to find the right words for this." After a few moments of silence, Tabula began her story. "Alenko was amazing in bed."

"Okay, that's it, thanks."

"Please, just listen…he was amazing, but that was basically it. His personality is just…just…we don't match. In the face of all that he has gone through in his life, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to him in the first place, he was always so calm about it. If he was disturbed or even slightly emotional about what happened to him, he would just seem more _human_."

"More…human?" Suddenly, Shepard regretted those words, but felt like an explanation would do.

"It's just a phrase Garrus. I'm just saying that he was always serious and never did anything that was exciting or stimulating beyond when you first meet him. He's a great talker, and is nice looking at that...but he's a deep as a puddle."

"So the only way you can like me is…if I mate with you? Shepard, I think that we should take this…"

"I know, that's why we're here, on a date. I don't want to make the same mistake again."

Suddenly, it was clear to him the reason why Tabula felt so determined to go on this human courtship ritual, and that made him feel like a serf; doing what he was told and serving his lord. He was fine with it now, and had the urge to apologize for his earlier actions, but that could wait till later.

"Here comes our dinner, I think." Shepard turned her head and saw her meal, along with what seemed like a wine bottle and some steaming soup that had the look of clam chowder and chicken noodle combinded together. Despite the name of the dish, which was difficult for the waiter to pronounce and impossible for her to spell in her head, the aroma was similar to that of curry and peppers.

The moment the waiter left, and Garrus picked up a spoon, Tabula fenced away the rival silverware. Like an eagle's talon swooping down on a lake for prey, Shepard made contact with the viscus substance and took pride in its glorious taste. Garrus just stared, with his head tilted to the side and mouth open, enough to have Tabula take notice and say "This is really good. You should try some. Go ahead, it's alright, I'll allow it."

"Thanks?" They were both trapped in the moment, and wouldn't want it any other way. They felt private and alone, cut off from everyone who mattered and dead to those who didn't. Garrus recieved a surge of energy at his idea, and without thinking, and without knowing the consequences, used his knife in similar to how a samurai would, and beheaded a corner of Tabula's steak.

All too quickly, he stabbed, chewed, and swallowed the piece of meat that once was part of the greater cow resting on Shepard's glossy white plate, slightly splattered with the steak's own blood from the force of his impact. Garrus leaned back in his chair, still chewing, content, a wryly smile with his mandibles flaring in victory and full of ego; he did unto Shepard what she did unto him, and it felt great to get back just once. He felt a sweat of success, he smelled the broth of reward, he tasted vomit creeping up in his throat.

Tabula could see Garrus' death glare, which went straight to his untouched soup, and sent a chill of pain up her spine. "Garrus...Garrus are you going to be alright? Do you want me to…?"

"J-Just give me a…a second to…uh" He had to cover his mouth and breath to stop the coming storm that was brewing in him "...let me go to the ba… *gage* bathroom."

"Okay…hurry back." He hurriedly, yet in a very unnoticeablefasion, walk-ran to the bathroom.

_He better get back in to time to pay for this check...there is no way in HELL I'm paying for his food twice in a row. No way!_

********

"Debit or credit, ma'am?"

"Huh, oh, I'll just sign it."

_Twenty fucking minutes...you would think his stomach would eventually run out, or at least be polite and just abandon ship._

"Thank you ma'am, and I hope your _friend_ won't press charges for his own mistake."

"He isn't going to do shit now that half his guts are being flushed down the toilet now will he? *sigh* And what do you mean _friend_, of course we're friends, you want to say something?" It was apparent to the waiter that Shepard was not in the mood to be taunted in the least bit, not at all.

He slowly backed away and scurried back to his other tables.

_Prick, who the hell does he think I am? I could kill him and as long as I shine my rank in every ones' eyes...blind people can't see a murder now can they?_

Shepard sighed again, letting her fatigue get the best of her, and feeling a sense of letdown like the night before. Two dates in a row, and both times she was unable to predict or prevent Garrus from destroying her plans.

_It's not his fault, he only wanted to play around...well he'll pay me back in the morning. So far, these dates are burning a whole in my budget._

"Hey there, Shep."

She looked up and saw shivering, hunched over, and severely nauseous Vakarian that was the complete opposite of what she seen before. She could only rub his shoulder, since a hug might just eject any leftovers still lingering around.

"Well, you look cheery! Ha…well, let's get you home. You're not going to barf all over _my_ apartment."

"I can just **feel** that you are the caring and loving person, that I know, as my commander Shepard."

"Yeah, yeah, hey, get the bottle. I'm not letting that go to waste."

"Huh, oh Shepard, don't make me go and..."

"_I_ had to pay for _your_ choice, so technically, that makes it mine. So, get my bottle of…**whatever** you got for me."

Garrus felt a sense of thievery in his heart; he did steal an unopened bottle of Turian wine, but that feeling disappeared abruptly once Shepard convinced him with her unmistakable rehtoric genius.

"Do it fast now, okay? I don't want to get caught, but I thirsy, so I might just stay so I can have it to myself while the police beat you...hey, will you hurry up and get it alredy. Please and thank you."

He quickly grabbed the bottle, and sneaked out with Shepard, to an awaiting transit vehicle. He typed in the destination, and with a sigh of relief, both of them realized this wasn't the worst time out they've ever had together.

"Sorry I made you pay…both times. I'll pay you back later?"

"Sure Garrus, just do me one thing."

"What?"

"If you _have _to vomit the rest of your organs, let it be on street with its pedestrians watching. _Not_ me, and _not_ in this small, hovering, box...okay?"

She held up the universal okay sign, keeping it up and staring expectantly, waiting for an answer; or the least bit, a nod.

Garrus made a fist, and with the extension of his first finger, slid it back and forth through the circular okay sign.

Shepard pulled away in shock and disgust.

"You're nasty Garrus, seriously…nasty"

He rolled his eyes and waited in silence, with his _friend_, until the vehicle came to a stop.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, I'll edit it later...PROMISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **(EDITED!!!)**

*goes back and plays Persona 4 downstairs* YEAH, KANJI-Kun...I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shoe~

P.S.-Do you guys like the titles? I'm trying to encompass the feel and the main event all in one little segment...is it working?


	5. Public Privacy Pt1

"_She said to call her, but what if she doesn't want to talk. What if she's busy or something, and I just ruined it. She could always just not pick up, right? Wait…she doesn't know my number. Does she answer calls from unknown strangers? Do unknown strangers even have her number? Am I over reacting?"_

Garrus spent most of last night and his morning bathing, eating, and over thinking a simple situation as he usually did. With the incident at the restaurant in the forefront of his mind, and having repeated his seemingly inevitable curse of messing up Tabula's dates with him, it was all but too easy for this clockwork mind to jam up at false realizations.

Garrus paced when he was nervous or unsure about something. Circling his coffee table in the middle of the living room – comfortable sofas at each side and rich atmosphere in his less four-hundred square foot apartment – he checked the clock above the door leading out and repeated every 5 minutes or so. It would seem that having this much difficulty over a simple phone call to a friend…

"_Is she more than that?"_

He went through a quickly thought up list of things he could say to her; with most of them leading him up to either apologize for his actions (again) or asking her over to his place. Neither seemed to be the best course of action for him, and instead he thought back to what Joker said about the "Three Day Rule" though Garrus still didn't understand why you would wait that long if you were actually interested in the person. In any case, Garrus had to do something, or there would be tracks formed in his living room.

"Food." Thinking with his stomach now, he stepped towards the refrigerator for something, anything to get his mind of the thought at hand. But opening the door, finding the unopened bottle of Turian Wine he asked for during the dinner, Garrus' hunger vanished. And so he stared at the bottle, and looked into the purple color of the liquor until he felt like he was staring into the irises of Tabula's eyes. The inner fridge's light passing through the clear bottle and refracting off the surface of the liquid matched her eyes in a way that had Garrus unable to turn. He was falling in love with his commander, the first human Specter, his best friend.

"I have to call her."

And as simple as it was to stand in front of an open refrigerator for ten minutes, Garrus just as easily dialed Tabula's number…and up to the point he hit "Call" he was feeling pretty confident.

"RING!"

"_SHIT. I have to hang-up. NO! Then she would think some crazy person was calling her and she would block the number and then I'll never get to call her. And I'll look like a dick and…_

"RING!"

"_Okay, so I'll just talk to her…but what if she doesn't pick up, then I'll have to leave a message. What will I say? Oh God, what the hell is wrong with me. I was fine a while ago, and I wasn't obsessed with my commander a while ago. Well, not this obse…_

"RING!"

"_I can always just hang up on the forth ring, and then she'll just have a icon saying she missed a call. Then she'll know I tried, and I'll be able to talk to her later. Yes! Just one more ring then…_

"Hello?"

"_Shit."_ His voice clamed up the moment her words passed through his ears. He has to say something, if anything just a hello. Tabula repeated herself once more before Garrus spoke.

"OH, hi Shepard. Sorry, I was…uh, how are you?"

"Hey! I'm good. Are you feeling better than before?"

It took him a second to remember what she was talking about. "Uh, yeah. I'm better now. Just food poisoning is all. Self inflicted but…you feeling better?"

"…better from that traumatizing night? Now that you mention it, I am a bit upset with being stuck with your expensive habits of getting sick or getting drunk." Her chuckle led to a short but noticable silence. This time, however, Garrus would break it without saying something to ruin the entire conversation.

"Hey, Tabula? Um… _c'mon, just say it ..._you want to come over tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever? I mean, I can't drink all this wine."

"I remember your tolerance for drinks quiet well, Vakarian." Both of them fell at ease a little, something Garrus has been unable to do for a while. "But I can squeeze you in for tonight. Besides, I was either going to want our "date" here, at my apartment, or over there, at yours."

"Oh? Am I that good you need me all to yourself?"

"A bit randy, aren't we? You sure you didn't have some of that wine before this? I would think you would be nervous about calling me after what happened. I half expected to not hear from you for a while. I guess I was incorrect."

"Indeed you were." His smile was wider than ever.

"Ha, well, the _other_ reason I wanted a secluded dinner was to get away from this growing paparazzi trail we have behind us. I know, I'm a little surprised to, but it's mostly just gossip full of hype and suspicion. So don't worry about your reputation or anything." A sound on the other line; like a door opening." Uh, I have to go. See you around 9. Bye!"

With the line dead, a haze of glee filled in Garrus' mind. Even with the call terminated, it felt as though he voice was still there; saying "Bye!"

"…bye Tabula."

* * *

This is half of Chapter 5, and I'll post the other half later. This goes to a fan of mine; you know who you are;) LOL. Gotta jet! Peace!


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